Please stop the banning of certain breeds for homeowners!

Every year bully-breed dogs (German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Akitas, Chow Chows, Pit Bulls...) are killed in shelters because they simply cannot be adopted, and there are people out there that would gladly adopt one of these breeds, but because insurance companies will not cover their homes with these breeds, many people cannot. It is sad because 4 out of 5 dogs in shelters across the nation are defined as a bully-breed. And only one out of five of those dogs will ever find a home. Tell insurance companies to stop banning perfectly wonderful dogs from being adopted! These dogs deserve a chance at life and many of them are friendly wonderful dogs that never get a break because they are the wrong breed.

The fact that insurance companies are banning dogs because of their size and stereotypes is wrong and completely uncalled for. Instead of instantly saying 'no' to families with existing "banned" breeds of dogs, they should be able to meet the dog, judge it's temperament and decide from there, or if the pet is an existing pet, request records of the dog's vet history, number of calls made to animal control on that dog, and the owner's history of owning pets.

I personally hear stories all the time; "my insurance went up because I have an Akita.", "I had to give up my dog because my renter's insurance doesn't cover it.", "I'm sorry, but if you want to own that breed of dog you will have to get your home owner's insurance elsewhere." I even had my own personal insurance agent agree with me that it was wrong to falsely accuse every dog that happens to be a "banned" breed as a bad dog. She had raised pit bulls for close to 15 years, and when I explained that I wanted to adopt a pit bull she got this sad look. Since I am a renter, and my landlady (who is also my mother) has my rental property under our insurance, I wouldn't be able to fulfill my dream of rescuing my favorite breed of dog.

People say that a pit bull is a good dog if you train it properly, but it's not just a pit bull, an Akita, a German Shepherd, it is all breeds of dogs, they were created to give us love, loyalty and bring joy and happiness into our lives... And by insurance companies banning certain breeds of dogs and forcing families to make an incredibly sad decision, many peoples' happiness are brutally, and sadly taken away by these insurance companies... I know that my dreams of rescuing the most misunderstood breed of dog and making it into an ambassador of the breed has been crushed. Why would they crush someone's dreams? Because the dog I want to rescue is a pit bull.

What insurance companies do not understand is what a real pit bull is. What I mean by a real pit bull is not the sad abused animal that is thrown into a pit, beaten, starved, and forced to fight or be murdered in the most terrible ways imaginable. No, the pit bull I am talking about is one that is fortunate, that has a family that loves it, a family with kids, a huge backyard, and the classic pit bull smile on it's face. The pit bull who stood beside The Little Rascals, the pit bull who people left their children with because they knew that dog would love and keep their children safe, the pit bull that gentlemen had to prove that they were a gentlemen... The beautiful dog that could have fallen so far from grace, could have been one of the unfortunate ones, and the could still love people, still have that pit bulls smile, and could still be someone's best friend. It's hard to imagine, isn't it? According to stereotypes and how people imagine the pit bull, it really does sound like I've described two completely different dogs. I promise you, what I just said is the truthabout pit bulls. It is sad that thugs took a dog that was created to be a friend to all, a dog you could trust your infant children with, and abused it, and changed it in the eyes of the people to the point of where people fear something that many used to adore.

It is said that the stereotypical hatred and fear of a dog breed changes every few years, in the 60's it was the German Shepherd, the 70's the Rottweiler and the Doberman, the 80's the Saint Bernard (Cujo was to blame for that) and the Great Dane, and now it is the pit bull, but these dog breeds are slowly rising back up, retaking their place in the hearts of Americans, but the discrimination really never ends.

The country that once loved pit bulls so much that they nearly became our national dog, is now trying to eliminate them from society, city wide bans of pit bulls have become a common thing, and people are having to say goodbye to their best friends which do not ever leave the city... instead they are all humanely euthanized, and stacked ontop of each other the same way people stack others in genocide cases, piles upon piles of someone's best friends, that were murdered. The little pit bull that let his little girl put a tootoo on him and paint his nails, dead. The dog that helped a little autistic boy with his anxiety and was his first best friend, dead. The war vet that came home with PTSD that his dog was helping him overcome, dead. It's sad to imagine something like that, isn't it? It's awful to put stories to the dogs that are stacked up in a pile, all of them with their eyes eternally closed, their bodies limp, their owner's heartbroken and devastated, but it is true.

You may be thinking, what does that have to do with insurance companies? That's city wide bans of those breeds of dogs. No, because when that owner takes their sweet little German Shepherd into a pound and drop it off, the chances of that dog making it out alive are slim, more people would rather pick a labrador or a chihuahua, well, this may be news for them, but most of these banned breeds of dogs score quite high on temperament tests, beating out the labrador, the dachshund, the cockerspaniel, and several other popular breeds.

And who could forget Stg. Stubby, the first ever dog to receive metals and be promoted for his service in the military during WWII, not only was he shot twice and survived both times, but he warned the soldiers of an oncoming gas attack, saving all of them. He met three of the Presidents of the United States and became a national treasure. Who could forget Teddy Roosevelt's pit bulls? He was one of the first breeders of them. Or Helen Keller's pit bull that assisted her with everyday tasks? Everyone has, including insurance companies.

Side Note: The puppy in the picture is named Tucker, he lives with an amazing family with tons of kids three of their own and several that come in for daycare, a Golden Retriever best friend, and a family who loves and spoils him. He is a mixed breed, he's got Lab, Mastiff, (I think he has Pit bull in him too) and Boxer in him.

UPDATE: I was called by my insurance company and my insurance agent that I mentioned above was able to get it so I can own ANY dog breed as long as the dog didn't have a bite history and I am very excited to announce that I have submitted my adoption papers on a very sweet little pit bull named Jazzy! I am going to keep this petition going so that all pet parents can have the freedom to choose what kind of dog they want! Thank you all for your guys's support it means so much to me to know that there are people who care about our bully breeds!!

Letter to

Insurance Companies

Please stop the banning of certain breeds for homeowners!

It is not fair that many owners of perfectly well-behaved dogs have to give up their animals because their homeowners or renters insurance does not cover their dogs, I am writing this letter requesting that insurance companies lift their ban of certain breeds of dogs and cover all family's fairly. It is wrong that people who are responsible, caring pet owners should have to surrender their pets because you won't cover them. It is downright awful that perfectly loving and friendly animals are being passed up at shelters because the potential adopter's insurance does not cover that breed.Please stop banning dogs just because of their breeding, instead of banning the breed, request vet records and animal control records to see if the dog has behavioral issues. These bans on certain breeds of dogs not only tear apart families, but it affects the animal's lives negatively, the animals that are often surrendered because their owner's cannot keep them more often than not get euthanized and it takes up spaces in shelters for homeless and sick animals that need a home.Imagine for a moment the look on a little girl's face when her parents have to break the news that her dog, who just so happens to be one of the banned breeds, has to be given up because their new insurance company does not cover it. By banning people's pets, you are personally taking away their happiness, please reconsider your bans on dog breeds so perfectly good owners and pets do not have to choose between insuring their home and lives or keeping their best friend.